You are cordially invited to
by AliRae
Summary: A wedding sparks memories of a happier time for a certain young wizard but can he bare to remember all he's lost?
1. Delicate Paper, Hated Words

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Lily Evans and James Potter.

The paper is delicate and intricate like a silken spider web spun into sheets, yet the words imprinted on it are to his eyes as ugly as a decaying corpse, he can almost hear its death rattle in the rustle of the papers. He knows that what he holds in his hand is all her idea and bar his name there isn't a trace of him in the design, choice of wording or style. He knows this but still wants to burn it for the message it brings. He stares at it in wonderment for a moment before tapping the delicate lettering with his wand, the letters move like angry snakes trying to change the words written but just as he starts to see another name replacing the original the spell breaks and James Potter reappears glaring at him scornfully. He scrunches the fateful paper and discards it to the floor but he cannot quite bring himself to destroy something that is so her, so for now on the floor it will stay.

For Severus Snape has been invited to the wedding of his childhood love and his hated enemy.


	2. The First Fire

**I have decided to write a memory per chapter and probably include Snape's thoughts on the previous chapter's memory as well. Does that make sense? Please R&R, reviews are like oxygen to me *wink* *wink* :)**

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><p>Severus does not sleep well that night. Just as he begins to drift off his torturous memory throws him her voice, her laugh, her smile and sleep is impossible. He knows a spell that would sent him onward to the land of dreams but he won't, for he treasures the few moments when she is his, his to remember, his to love.<p>

_He is 6 years old, small for his age but gaunt in a way that seems to elongate him. His hair is dark, soft and short having been attacked by his mother and the kitchen scissors only the night before. His clothes are dark and too big, his father's old cast-offs, if he concentrates he can still smell that cloud of smoke and whisky that surrounds his father and buries itself into his clothes._

_Winter hasn't released its claim on the world yet even though it is well into March so he cannot stop the shiver that shakes his thin figure. Winter makes the quiet streets seem dark, ugly and depressing. It reminds him of sadness not that he'd ever tell. The bright, sunny flowers, the daffodils are few and far between and for reasons he doesn't quite understand he feels as though the happy moments in his life as few too. Against the bleak landscape a flash of dark fire runs past him and away, without any conscious thought he is following the fire with an almost desperate haste. It flees from him as he chases through the web of frost coated streets until he can see the fires desire. An older girl with dark hair and eyes who Severus knows though he cannot hear is taunting and teasing the fire for being so slow. Even as he bristles with anger he realises that if he doesn't turn they will see him so he throws himself right and into the dark unlit street waiting for him with its run down houses. His house is only moments away but he stays still waiting, praying for another glimpse of the girl with fire for hair. For this is the day Severus Snape first saw Lily Evans. _


	3. Faithful Ghost

**Just a short little teaser, I have decided to create a build up until the day the two meet, please don't get bored it will happen soon :) Please R&R**

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><p>Snape remembered that fire like it had had for have been tattooed on to the inside of his eyelids, he remembered each strand, each stroke of red, orange and gold. He knew every hue, every shadow the way it seemed to softly kiss of her face. He knew it all. Fire was the most beautiful thing in the world.<p>

_Severus was not a normal person, he was a ghost. He had passed through life without leaving so much as a footprint is behind, but he was child so for now he was ok with not really existing; it was fun to drift unseen through the world. She changed all that. He was still a ghost but now he followed her and her alone, unseen like a loyal yet abandoned puppy of have following the far enough back that it should not be seen and sent away. He no longer glorified in his ghosting existence, he wanted to be real. He wanted to be seen. He wanted to be seen by her. When the time was right he would be but until then he would wait and dream of the feel of flowing auburn hair. _


	4. Hello

_The weeks pass and summer flits past barely leaving an imprint. Each day Severus had watched for her, memorised her words and practiced his own for the day when he said hello. The leaves were still clinging to the frail arms of thin trees when she stood alone gazing in wonder at a certain leaf. Her hair flows past her face blocking him from her sight and he cannot help it. He extends his hand toward the tree and softly guides the leaf to rest on her small cream palm. He wants her to believe it was natures magic so turns to disappear again but she is too fast for him. She spins, stares accusingly at him and asks "Did you do that? You did, didn't you?" _

"_Did you do that? You did, didn't you?" _

_He knows he cannot lie to her so nods gently._

"_Show me," she demands._

_He doesn't know what to show her, magic doesn't work that, he can't force it not at his age but he feels a burning need to show her, to impress her. Burning. That's it. He fills his thoughts with her hair, with the sun's fire and almost instantly leaves fall around them burning red, yellow, gold fire. _

_She smiles entranced and spins as if to catch every second desperate to miss nothing. _

"_You can do magic? Wow I'd love to do magic." She pauses as a new idea hits her. "I don't wanna be a witch, they're evil. I don't want to be evil."_

"_You're a girl, a girl who does magic is a witch," "Sorry" he whispers as her face crumples at the very thought so he doesn't tell her. He doesn't tell her she's magic too. _

"_I'm lily."_

"_Severus" the whispered reply._

_The other sister is calling just out of sight so Lily runs away throwing back a "Bye Sev," as she goes._

_He watches as she disappears, missing her already. _


	5. Days

**I know I haven't wrote in a while, blame college and NaNoWriMo. I do. Sorry :( Hope you like it.**

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><p><em>Christmas waits like an eager puppy on the doorstep desperate to be let in and as the day draws near the two children find a true friendship between them. It sprung from a few stolen seconds and a secret smile of greeting, small crevices of everyday life. They cannot walk side by side at school or go to one another's houses but they are the best of friends anyway. For in the hours they sneak away together nothing exists but them.<em>

_Severus' grades fell in the summer term, no one cares. His parents arguing interests them far more than their son, the teachers find his awkward bubble of silence to troublesome to overcome and Severus himself cares more for thinking about Lily that a few more Cs on his report card. Every night he falls asleep to the memory of her smiling and laughing as the leaves of fire rained down around her as everyday he tries to find new ways to make her smile. Some days he succeeds._

_The day he made a little boat from twigs and as she set it free on the local pond it had floated without any magically intervention from him._

_The day he caught a butterfly and set it free outside her bedroom window._

_The day they had eaten 4 gigantic cotton candies then threw up pink fluffy sick._

_The day they'd sat in the park all day until it was dark, talking about silly things that made them laugh._

_The day Lily won the snow ball fights against all the boys._

_The day he gave her his gloves because her hands were cold, then his coat because she shivered._

_The day she made cupcakes and he'd eaten three because she had made them so they were the best he'd ever had._

_The day they bought fish and chips from the chip shop for lunch, smeared in ketchup. He could still feel the burns on his fingers from the hot chips._

_He will never forget these days._


End file.
